Kingston unveils HyperX Predator PCIe SSD

Kingston's HyperX division has announced the HyperX Predator PCIe SSD, boasting 1,400/1,000 MBps sequential read/write speeds, far outclassing the limitations of a traditional SATA 6Gbps connection. The drive will be available in 240GB and 480GB capacities.

The Predator can be connected to your motherboard's m.2 slot if you pull it off the PCIe board, or through its PCIe adapter. Because most current m.2 slots are limited by SATA 6 Gbps controllers, going the PCIe route will deliver far better speeds. The Predator uses the Marvell Altaplus 88SS9293 SSD controller, which connects via AHCI over the PCI3 2.0 x4 interface.

The drive offers 130,000/118,000 random read/write IOPS, with an impressive endurance rating: Kingston says it supports 805 GB of writes per day over the 3-year warranty period.

While the Predator has yet to appear at online retailers, it is currently listed in the Kingston online store at $382 for the 240GB drive and $764 for 480GB. That's far more expensive than your standard SATA SSD, but that's to be expected—the HyperX Predator is on the cutting edge of PCIe SSDs making use of x4 lanes and the corresponding speed.